Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of persistent overcrowding on CrossCountry rail services on passenger safety, accessibility and journey quality; and what steps she is taking to increase capacity on heavily used CrossCountry routes serving the South West, Midlands and North of England.

Passenger safety, accessibility and customer experience impacts are monitored on a continuing basis through contractual oversight, operator reporting and the wider rail regulatory framework.

The Department regularly monitors the operator’s capacity and passenger experience, whilst passenger safety is regulated by the Office of Rail and Road.

The Government has been taking action to increase capacity on CrossCountry routes by funding twelve additional Voyager trains, equivalent to 60 additional carriages, which began entering passenger service in May 2025 and provide thousands of additional seats each week across the network. DfT Operator (DFTO) officials are also working with CrossCountry to introduce further additional Voyager trains to the CrossCountry fleet. The Department is also funding a £75 million refurbishment of CrossCountry’s entire fleet to improve passenger comfort and the overall travel experience.